Trump’s Proposed Budget to Kill National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities

by Paula Newton May 24, 2017

Budget Director Mick Mulvaney holds up a copy of President Trump’s proposed fiscal 2018 federal budget at the White House on Tuesday. Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP via NPR.org

Yesterday, the Trump administration released its proposed budget for the Federal government for FY 2018. The budget was given the fancy title “A New Foundation for American Greatness” and it would eliminate 18 independent agencies, including the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).

CNN reports that it is “largely symbolic” and Congress is not expected to pass the budget in its current state. The same article also quotes Mick Mulvaney, Trump’s budget chief:

We are no longer going to measure compassion by the number of programs or the number of people on those programs. We are going to measure compassion and success by the number of people we help get off of those programs and get back in charge of their own lives.

NEH Deputy Chair Margaret Plympton (Acting Chair since NEH Chairman William D. Adams resigned on Monday) released a statement about the President’s budget, declaring, “As NEH awaits Congressional action on the President’s proposed budget, the agency is continuing normal operations and will be making the next round of FY 2017 awards following the meeting of the National Council in July.” The NEH released a proposed appropriations request for financial year 2018 seeking $42 million “for the orderly closure of the agency,” reports Hyperallergic. The NEA has also submitted an appropriations request of $29.019 million for its shutdown.

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